Pot roast is a dish that holds meaning in my relationship with my husband, and it always brings me comfort. Our first winter storm - an Oregon winter storm, where everything shuts down and work is cancelled - was spent in pajamas together, sipping rum and eating pot roast.

When he planned a special Valentine’s Day getaway it was like watching a cheesy Rom-Com where Murphy’s Law ran rampant. Spending four hours in a suburban mall waiting for mechanics to fix his car does have a way of enhancing the romance, in its own weird little way.

When we finally arrived at our destination - a beautiful little cabin with a hot tub on Vashon Island, WA - I immediately started searing up some chuck roast for a warming bowl of pot roast and potatoes. It was a lovely kitchen view - enough to really push behind us the treachery of the preceeding hours.

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Whenever I ask him what he wants for his birthday dinner - the answer is always pot roast. I like to serve it up with sour cream mashed potatoes and some green vegetable.

The first key to great pot roast is to season properly. I make sure that I completely coat a chuck roast with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, so when you apply hot, hot heat it turns into that thick, brown crust on all sides of the meat. It’s all about building flavor in layers, and since we aren’t adding any garlic or onion here, take extra time to ensure we are maximizing the flavor of the ingredients we can use.

The second key to great pot roast is wine. Drinkable, deeply flavorful red wine. We use this to deglaze the pan - adding richness, and putting to work all that gorgeous searing we did with the roast.

The final key is time - it’s gotta be low and slow. I like to check mine every hour or so and flip it around, so all the sides get the same air/liquid exposure. You can’t rush this process, because we need the fatty tissues in the roast to break down, giving us that beautiful fally-aparty, luscious texture. Because it really is all about that texture.

Start by coating the chuck roast in salt and pepper on all sides so you have a nice even layer; be generous. Next heat a heavy-bottomed, oven-safe pot on the stove with high heat, you want to get it smoking hot.

Chuck the meat in the pan (see what I did there?), and sear it on all sides until you have a nice crust developed the whole way around. Once the meat is seared, use tongs to remove it from the pot, and set it on a plate to rest.

Turn the heat down to medium-high and add the garlic oil to the pot, followed by the green onion tops, rosemary sprigs and carrots. Cook the carrots until they start to develop some color, stirring them around occasionally for evenness.

Now is the time to pour in the wine, and use tongs to scrape the good bits off the bottom of the pan. Let the wine cook for a couple minutes, then add the broth or stock, give it a quick stir, and turn off the heat.

Push all the carrots to the edges of the pot, and place the roast back in. Depending on the size of your pot, and the size of the roast, you may need to add water to raise the liquid level, leaving about 2 inches of the meat exposed to the air.

Put the whole pot in the oven and let it go, low and slow, baby! You want to let it braise for at least 3.5 hours. I like 4-5 if I remembered to start cooking it early enough. It’s ready when you poke the roast with tongs and it visibly starts to fall apart. I like to slice my roast for serving, and offer the pan drippings and those amazing roasted carrots on the side. Serve with potatoes and veggies for a classic pot roast dinner.

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